GCL is done. Season ended Friday. It is only 60 games long and we got 59 of them in even with the late rainouts. They already started their playoffs. That is why you see a strange promotion here and there like Gustavo Gonzalez to Clearwater (to backup at SS) just because they need somebody for a week.
I think most or all of the minor league seasons play through labor day monday. There has been a little rain in the area lately so maybe that’s cancelled a few games…
Three hits and a walk for Franco is great. Two hits and a steal for Altherr.
I wonder if Cesar Hernandez could use whatever offseason program Galvis was on last year. May gave up too many doubles (and hits in general) but he didn’t walk a ton of batters and struck some guys out. Pettis good in relief.
Agree hard training for both Galvis and Valle. I think Valle may already be weight training in the off-season. Not sure why all these guys don’t train hard in off-season. Almost always pays significant dividends.
He originally came up as a SS and was switched in VSL. I think he could play it as a utility guy but probably not as a starter. With Galvis and all the SS we just signed, I assume the team is not considering moving him other than maybe seeing if he is suitable for that utility role in a couple of years.
Good point, but wondering if he can actually play above avg SS and whether his bat plays better there. At 2B, he will need to be a .300+, high OBP, mybe 10 HR guy (can you say Manny Trillo?) or more HRs eventually with lower avg. I look for him to develop a little power gradually, but if he doesn’t become a 10-15 HR guy, you have to wonder if he fits better at SS. Could also be a range thing. Maybe his L-R range is not great, so they are gambling his bat perks up in the next few seasons. Interesting guy to speculate on.
May had an off night, but did anyone notice he broke the 200 k mark? That’s a pretty cool accomplishment in itself. Does anyone know the last time a phillies minor leaguer did that?
Ahh, a question. I went back 10 years. No one at the Phillies minor league level has broken 200 Ks in a season before. May had 182 last year. Matt Maloney had 180 in 2006. Naylor had 156 in 2008 and Outman had 151 in 2007. Drabek had 150 in 2009. Hamels and Madson both had 147 in 2003. Taylor Buchholz had 146 way back in 2002. Robinson Tejeda had 133 in 2004. A guy named Derek Griffith had 131 back in 2005. I don’t remember him.
Cesar should get tons of love from us this off-season. He’s more than handled his own after being double-jumped from Williamsport. After a putrid April (.143 BA), he hit .262 in May, .315 in June, .277 in July, and .306 with a few games left here in August. Not bad. Hopefully he opens with Clearwater again next season. He doesn’t turn 22 until next May
What a great season for May. 203 strikeouts? That’s an absurd number. He’ll be 22 next month and will likely open with AA Reading in 2012. It’s easy to see him as our number 1 prospect
Cesar needs to go to Reading as he is already on the 40-man roster and has used one of his options. He has two more seasons of minor league control for the Phillies so his strong second two thirds of the year means he should be almost certain for promotion.
I do not love Cesar. A lot of his value on the offensive side before this year was tied up in his batting eye, specifically lots of walks and few Ks. That has gotten a lot worse this year and has not improved the past three months even though his AVG has improved.
I like him because apparently he is a good fielder, he can steal bases, and it looks like he can hit for average. But he is no Galvis, whom I love.
Boston………..strangely Jon Mayo, MLB Draft and Prospect Expert, has Cesar ranked 6th in the Phillies Top Ten Watch. Oddly, he still has Brody Colvin ranked first. with Biddle (3rd), and May (4th), following. Valle is ranked second and Altherr is fifth.
It is possible that moving Gonzalez up to Clwtr clears Lkwd to have Greene open there in ’12. A good question is where do all the infielders that were just drafted play in ’12 and in what position.
Since most of them signed late and didn’t play any scheduled games, the instructional league soon to begin could tell us more about that; is there any way to gain insight in what goes on there?
Agree that Cesar Hernandez could use to put on 7-8 muscle lbs if his weight is what is now listed for him. Though his play lately shows better offense than when this season started, I agree that his OBA is not suitable for a planned lead-off hitter which seemed where he was aimed at. Yet, he did make a big double jump from 60-70 games/season to over 100 this season and has managed to keep his pace up reasonably well.
He is still regarded as a superior fielding 2nd baseman and can still motor the bases so it will be his offense in ’12 that will need to improve in ’12 as what I believe will be essential to his progress since he has only 2 more seasons to hit the Rule 5 barrier with a bunch of middle infielders just behind him.
With that weight/muscle training over this offseason he could accomplish all that and retain his better prospect status. Go, Cesar!
Gonzalez to Clearwater is more likely just shifting a non prospect around after the GCL season ended. Greene is still likely to get a shot at Lakewood next year regardless of where Gonzalez is. Rule number one with minor league development is that the best prospects should play at the proper level. Everyone else fills in around the better prospects.
Exactly. Gonzalez to Clearwater just means they needed a body at Clearwater and they don’t have to pay travel expenses for a GCL non prospect to the complex.
I think its time to keep an eye on Jesus Pirela. I recall someone on here saying that he was taught a new way to throw earlier this season. Take a look at the recent results. In August, he seems like a differetn guy, one with a very bright future.
As for Cesar, I don’t think they’ll have him repeat C Water. He was clearly not overmatched after April. It might hinge on Harold Garcia and his health and where he plays to start the year.
To be fair, they didnt have a 1st round or compensation round pick that year. They used the 2nd rounder as a piece for Brad Lidge. They used Matt Maloney for Kyle Losche or else, they wouldn’t have won the division in 2007. They used Outman as a major piece for Blanton, for which they wouldn’t have won the WS in 2008.
Not a good draft though finishing in the top 20 is probably tough without any high picks and without too many big overslot signings. 3 major leaguers signed total with Maloney, Outman, and Zagurski. Outman looks to be the best of them though he is a major question after injury. A combined total of 2.2 WAR according to Baseball Reference (check out their franchise draft page for a quick check on the career performance of any draft.
Tuffy and Mitchell still has an outside chance to be a 4th major leaguer. Costanzo and Durant were major misses for high picks and then we got a little conservative. I like our mid-round choices much better these days as we look at least for a major league tool or two.
Oooo, reading Durant’s name sent up a red flag for me wrt LG. BA ranked Durant #160 overall in 2005. Their blurb: “Surprisingly mobile for his size, expected raw power to go with it.” That sounds like someone we know. Durant hit 11 HRs in 46 ABs in high school. Wow. Cautionary tale…
not having a first round doesnt mean you cant have a good draft not with the overslot kids you can talk out of college committments.show them the money
Phuture Phillies 
Is the GCL done for the year?
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The GCL Phils almost never play on Sunday. They were one of the few areas on the eastern seaboard that didn’t get pounded by Hurricane Irene.
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GCL is done. Season ended Friday. It is only 60 games long and we got 59 of them in even with the late rainouts. They already started their playoffs. That is why you see a strange promotion here and there like Gustavo Gonzalez to Clearwater (to backup at SS) just because they need somebody for a week.
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I guess I’m used to our GCL team making the playoffs. Not this year…
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Is the weather the reason so little games are being played or is it just that time of year when things slow down?
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I think most or all of the minor league seasons play through labor day monday. There has been a little rain in the area lately so maybe that’s cancelled a few games…
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Hurricane guys.
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Eric Pettis has had a nice August with 4 of the 5 run allowed in one game . Ruf may become important next year as an injury backup at least.
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Garner cementing his prospect status
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I like Garner more than most, but 8 baserunners in 4 IP is not a good start. He was in and out of trouble the whole time he was in there.
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Three hits and a walk for Franco is great. Two hits and a steal for Altherr.
I wonder if Cesar Hernandez could use whatever offseason program Galvis was on last year. May gave up too many doubles (and hits in general) but he didn’t walk a ton of batters and struck some guys out. Pettis good in relief.
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Cesar might, but Valle really might benefit
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Agree hard training for both Galvis and Valle. I think Valle may already be weight training in the off-season. Not sure why all these guys don’t train hard in off-season. Almost always pays significant dividends.
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Valle may not be weight traning in the off season because he plays baseball year round in the mexican league. Laziness shouldn’t be implied.
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Does anyone think cesar could move to shortstop? I know he is a plus defender at 2nd but does he have the arm and range for short?
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He originally came up as a SS and was switched in VSL. I think he could play it as a utility guy but probably not as a starter. With Galvis and all the SS we just signed, I assume the team is not considering moving him other than maybe seeing if he is suitable for that utility role in a couple of years.
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Good point, but wondering if he can actually play above avg SS and whether his bat plays better there. At 2B, he will need to be a .300+, high OBP, mybe 10 HR guy (can you say Manny Trillo?) or more HRs eventually with lower avg. I look for him to develop a little power gradually, but if he doesn’t become a 10-15 HR guy, you have to wonder if he fits better at SS. Could also be a range thing. Maybe his L-R range is not great, so they are gambling his bat perks up in the next few seasons. Interesting guy to speculate on.
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No, he doesn’t have the arm for SS.
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May had an off night, but did anyone notice he broke the 200 k mark? That’s a pretty cool accomplishment in itself. Does anyone know the last time a phillies minor leaguer did that?
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Ahh, a question. I went back 10 years. No one at the Phillies minor league level has broken 200 Ks in a season before. May had 182 last year. Matt Maloney had 180 in 2006. Naylor had 156 in 2008 and Outman had 151 in 2007. Drabek had 150 in 2009. Hamels and Madson both had 147 in 2003. Taylor Buchholz had 146 way back in 2002. Robinson Tejeda had 133 in 2004. A guy named Derek Griffith had 131 back in 2005. I don’t remember him.
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Wasn’t Brett Myers close? He had a couple of great minor league seasons.
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Topped out at 140.
I forgot how young he came up. He seems like he should be mid 30s by now.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=myers-001bre
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Cesar should get tons of love from us this off-season. He’s more than handled his own after being double-jumped from Williamsport. After a putrid April (.143 BA), he hit .262 in May, .315 in June, .277 in July, and .306 with a few games left here in August. Not bad. Hopefully he opens with Clearwater again next season. He doesn’t turn 22 until next May
What a great season for May. 203 strikeouts? That’s an absurd number. He’ll be 22 next month and will likely open with AA Reading in 2012. It’s easy to see him as our number 1 prospect
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Cesar needs to go to Reading as he is already on the 40-man roster and has used one of his options. He has two more seasons of minor league control for the Phillies so his strong second two thirds of the year means he should be almost certain for promotion.
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“his strong second two thirds of the year”
Nice phrasing, yogi, er, andyb.
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I do not love Cesar. A lot of his value on the offensive side before this year was tied up in his batting eye, specifically lots of walks and few Ks. That has gotten a lot worse this year and has not improved the past three months even though his AVG has improved.
I like him because apparently he is a good fielder, he can steal bases, and it looks like he can hit for average. But he is no Galvis, whom I love.
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Boston………..strangely Jon Mayo, MLB Draft and Prospect Expert, has Cesar ranked 6th in the Phillies Top Ten Watch. Oddly, he still has Brody Colvin ranked first. with Biddle (3rd), and May (4th), following. Valle is ranked second and Altherr is fifth.
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Its not that odd. Everyone on the list basically has kept their pre-season spot, and moved up since the trades of Singleton, Cosart and Santana.
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VOR…..odd that he continues to keep Colvin as first, even with all his struggles this year.
Where would you put Colvin on your ranking?
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The point is he has not updated his rankings. He’s just moved everyone up inyo the spots vacated by the players no longer here.
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I have not redone my top ten, but even though I don’t love Cesar he still might be in there.
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dont know anomyous was it ever done before
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It is possible that moving Gonzalez up to Clwtr clears Lkwd to have Greene open there in ’12. A good question is where do all the infielders that were just drafted play in ’12 and in what position.
Since most of them signed late and didn’t play any scheduled games, the instructional league soon to begin could tell us more about that; is there any way to gain insight in what goes on there?
Agree that Cesar Hernandez could use to put on 7-8 muscle lbs if his weight is what is now listed for him. Though his play lately shows better offense than when this season started, I agree that his OBA is not suitable for a planned lead-off hitter which seemed where he was aimed at. Yet, he did make a big double jump from 60-70 games/season to over 100 this season and has managed to keep his pace up reasonably well.
He is still regarded as a superior fielding 2nd baseman and can still motor the bases so it will be his offense in ’12 that will need to improve in ’12 as what I believe will be essential to his progress since he has only 2 more seasons to hit the Rule 5 barrier with a bunch of middle infielders just behind him.
With that weight/muscle training over this offseason he could accomplish all that and retain his better prospect status. Go, Cesar!
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Gonzalez to Clearwater is more likely just shifting a non prospect around after the GCL season ended. Greene is still likely to get a shot at Lakewood next year regardless of where Gonzalez is. Rule number one with minor league development is that the best prospects should play at the proper level. Everyone else fills in around the better prospects.
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Exactly. Gonzalez to Clearwater just means they needed a body at Clearwater and they don’t have to pay travel expenses for a GCL non prospect to the complex.
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I think its time to keep an eye on Jesus Pirela. I recall someone on here saying that he was taught a new way to throw earlier this season. Take a look at the recent results. In August, he seems like a differetn guy, one with a very bright future.
As for Cesar, I don’t think they’ll have him repeat C Water. He was clearly not overmatched after April. It might hinge on Harold Garcia and his health and where he plays to start the year.
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OT: Jim Calis ranks Phillies 2005 draft 25th out of 30 for that year based on draftee success.
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Holy crap. That was an epicably terrible draft. Of all those guys, the two standout signees are Zagurski and Outman.
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Someone named Vance Worley was drafted in the 20th round but did not sign—shame on Phillies!!!!!
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To be fair, they didnt have a 1st round or compensation round pick that year. They used the 2nd rounder as a piece for Brad Lidge. They used Matt Maloney for Kyle Losche or else, they wouldn’t have won the division in 2007. They used Outman as a major piece for Blanton, for which they wouldn’t have won the WS in 2008.
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Not a good draft though finishing in the top 20 is probably tough without any high picks and without too many big overslot signings. 3 major leaguers signed total with Maloney, Outman, and Zagurski. Outman looks to be the best of them though he is a major question after injury. A combined total of 2.2 WAR according to Baseball Reference (check out their franchise draft page for a quick check on the career performance of any draft.
Tuffy and Mitchell still has an outside chance to be a 4th major leaguer. Costanzo and Durant were major misses for high picks and then we got a little conservative. I like our mid-round choices much better these days as we look at least for a major league tool or two.
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Oooo, reading Durant’s name sent up a red flag for me wrt LG. BA ranked Durant #160 overall in 2005. Their blurb: “Surprisingly mobile for his size, expected raw power to go with it.” That sounds like someone we know. Durant hit 11 HRs in 46 ABs in high school. Wow. Cautionary tale…
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Please any decent pitcher could of done what Blanton did. Was he good yes. But hardly a savior. Is this you big guy?
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He is correct—Josh Outman is it, from what I see.
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Phillies drafted Riley Cooper in the 15th Round of the 2006 Draft!
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not having a first round doesnt mean you cant have a good draft not with the overslot kids you can talk out of college committments.show them the money
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Thanks roccom.
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where do the guys like greene and quinn and late signing go to now extend spring in florida. is that a league with games or just instructional
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